Laos

Climate

Laos has a tropical monsoon climate, with a pronounced
rainy
season from May through October, a cool dry season from
November
through February, and a hot dry season in March and April.
Generally, monsoons occur at the same time across the
country,
although that time may vary significantly from one year to
the
next. Rainfall also varies regionally, with the highest
amounts--
3,700 millimeters annually--recorded on the Bolovens
Plateau in
Champasak Province. City rainfall stations have recorded
that
Savannakhét averages 1,440 millimeters of rain annually;
Vientiane
receives about 1,700 millimeters, and Louangphrabang
(Luang
Prabang) receives about 1,360 millimeters. Rainfall is not
always
adequate for rice cultivation, however, and the relatively
high
average precipitation conceals years where rainfall may be
only
half or less of the norm, causing significant declines in
rice
yields. Such droughts often are regional, leaving
production in
other parts of the country unaffected. Temperatures range
from
highs around 40°C along the Mekong in March and April to
lows of
5°C or less in the uplands of Xiangkhoang and Phôngsali in
January.